“I do love secondhand books that open to the page some previous owner read oftenest. The day Hazlitt came he opened to “I hate to read new books,” and I hollered “Comrade” to whoever owned it before me.” – Helene Hanff, 84 Charing Cross Road

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Old books: paper or ebook

I like meeting

And old paperback

Like an illicit lover

No fresh from printer’s glare

No stiff cover

So comfortable the invitation

Easily pages turn

Consummate host for this reader

With scant euros to burn

Each book that I discover

A long awaited friend

Its secrets I’ll uncover

Its binding I shall bend

Not disrespectful

au contraire, mon cher

Treasure in my hands

Riches beyond compare

I’ll treasure every syllable

That twists about my tongue

Cautious of each coffee spill

A drop of wine or two

Read, read, read – take your fill

Bisous,

Léa

My apologies for the rhyming, something I rarely do and never intentionally.